Sarah Vortex
Sarah Vortex is a Hero built by Hero Factory. She spent several years as a vigilante on the planet Shraeon A. Biography Rookie In early 2012, Hero Factory began rolling out minor updates to the 2.0 platform. They built a prototype Hero for the 2.1 update and named her Sarah Vortex. Her designers put an emphasis on villain-catching ability, and it seemed that she was very good at that. In the training spheres, she turned out to be one of the most promising rookie heroes since William Furno. Twelve teams submitted a bid to recruit her, but in the end she was assigned to Beta 3 Team. Shortly after, she was sent on a solo mission to stop an armed robbery. She felt pretty good about her first victory in the field when she returned to Hero Factory. “Those robbers didn’t stand a chance against my dual automatic crossbows!” However, her teammates seemed agitated. “But where are they?” asked the team leader. “Oh, I just left them on the street. I’m sure someone has come by to clean up the mess by now.” It was clear that her sense of justice was much more ruthless than that of the typical Hero. Regardless, she was still considered a valuable member of her team. Beta 3 Team’s next assignment was a fact finding mission to Shraeon A, to assess the feasibility of launching a large scale mission to overthrow the barbaric society on that planet and restore order. Shortly after setting up a makeshift outpost, they were ruthlessly attacked by a mob sent by the warlord who ruled that part of the planet. Vortex was the only member of her team who managed to survive the chaos. With no way to escape the planet, she appointed herself as judge, jury, and executioner, killing anyone whom she saw acting unjustly. The very name “Vortex” inspired dread in everyone living there. Meanwhile, everyone at Hero Factory assumed she had shared the same fate as the rest of Beta 3 Team, and marked her as “Killed in Action” in their records. Vigilante All alone, Vortex learned how to survive without any Heroes at her side. One of the first things she did was modify her Hero Core cover to hide the “H” symbol, since she felt that doing so would make her less of a target. She also covered over her nameplate so that no one would know who she was or where she came from. She “made friends” with a weaponsmith whom she forced to made bolts for her crossbows, and she discovered a hidden location at a power plant where she could recharge her Hero Core without being spotted by anyone. She was good at hiding, but eventually she was captured and taken to see one of the warlords of Shraeon A. “Did you write this?” asked the warlord, holding up a scrap of paper that read, “Vortex was here.” “Yes, I did,” answered Vortex. “I can’t believe it! You’re so elusive, I wasn’t even sure if you were actually real.” Vortex wasn’t sure what to say. “Why haven’t you killed me yet?” “You’re the greatest killing machine on this planet, so I wouldn’t just let you go to waste. I need you to kill one of the other warlords and give me proof of it. If you succeed, I will give you a large quantity of gold. If it turns out you’re actually not the greatest killing machine on this planet . . . well, you probably know what’s going to happen.” “Of course. I’ll be on my way.” Although Vortex managed to infiltrate the other warlord’s citadel, she was found by one of the guards before she could reach her target. She barely escaped. Once she reached a safe location, she had time to reflect on what just happened. The warlord who hired Vortex was going to come after her. The warlord whom Vortex tried to assassinate was going to come after her. Her only choice was to escape the planet. She ran to the spaceport as fast as she could and stowed away in the cargo hold of the next ship to launch. Re-recruited After a few weeks of traveling across the stars, that ship landed in Antropolis. Unsure of what else she could do, Vortex continued acting as a vigilante, just as she had done on Shraeon A. First, she found and wiped out a loan sharking operation, then she decided that their base would make a good base for herself. The base had high-tech equipment, such as a HeroNet traffic monitor, which Vortex used to listen in on every Hero Factory emergency call in Antropolis. On multiple occasions, she was able to arrive at a crime scene, execute the criminal, and silently leave before anyone else showed up. This ended up being her undoing, however. One night, she responded to an emergency call from Ol’ Gordon’s Hardware Store that turned out to be completely fake. It was a trap set by Alpha Team in order to stop her. Once Vortex was caught, she was reintegrated into the Hero Factory system, assigned to Omicron 5 Team, and placed under close supervision by Mission Control. Going back to the regular Hero lifestyle was extremely challenging for her, but she managed, and now, she is one of Hero Factory’s most reliable villain catchers. Abilities and Traits As a rookie, Vortex had a lively personality, and her general enthusiasm extended to her fighting. The years she spent on Shraeon A removed any traces of pleasantness she had and made her even more ruthless to villains than she already was. There aren’t many lines Vortex won’t cross in the pursuit of justice, and she shows little care for innocent bystanders who get caught in the crossfire. She never shows emotion, and rarely talks unless she is asked a direct question. With her sociopathy and complete lack of empathy, even the other Heroes fear her. Vortex will always try to stand as close to a window as possible, so that she can make a quick escape if needed. She also prefers to have the high ground in any confrontation. As a master of stealth, most of her victims never had any idea what hit them. Powers and Equipment Vortex’s signature weapons are her two automatic crossbows, which she uses because they are much quieter than firearms. In addition to firing ultra-sharp bolts that can easily pierce metal, the crossbows can also fire grappling hooks, giving Vortex significant vertical mobility. On Vortex’s utility belt, you will always find one or two smoke grenades. She likes to use them to disorient and distract her enemies, and also to help herself hide. Stats Appearances * Operation: Vortex Category:Heroes Category:Female Heroes Category:Blue Heroes Category:Living Heroes Category:LEGO Digital Designer Category:2.0 Heroes